Halfling
The Halflings are a race of peaceful creatures that bear strong resemblance to their cousins Humen. Although boasting a mostly humanoid physique, Halflings are best known for their short height and nomadic nature, as rarely do Halfling groups settle permanently in a single area. History Creation It is generally acknowledged that the first 'organized' Halfling populations sprawled at around the same time period with Humen. The Halflings maintained a low profile due to their nimble nature, and managed to go through all pre-historic conflicts by keeping low in numbers and, simply minding their own business. Therefore, the Creation Wars had little to no effect on their population. First Era For more than five hundred years the Halflings kept a peaceful profile and steered away from their neighbors, in an attempt to prevent a rise of attention being paid to them. Their diplomatic relations were limited to business contracts with the Humen, their closest friends and allies, but rumours want some of them to had been participating in trading with other developing races of that age as well. Halflings flourished inside metal and diamond mines as their sleek physique allowed them to dig deeper mines than most of the other races could possibly go in. Although their techniques failed to outperform those of the dwarves when they came down to mining effectiveness, the Halflings developed their own "mining culture" that retains a respectful name up to this day. The Halfling expertise in extracting valuable ores from underground sprawled out the cultural revolution of the early Halfling era, during which period the Halflings established a reputation as masterful goldsmiths and jewelers. Halfling jewelry products were so popular that actually drew the attention of another race, that had suffered extensive damage during the Creation Wars - the Elves. Claiming the neutral zones of the Halfling mines as of their own lands, the two races soon slipped into a short but bloody conflict. The outer Halfling settlements turned into warzones and almost sixty percent of all of their lands were plundered. The end of the war found the elves victors, but both races suffered enough loss in population that had them withdraw from each another's interests. The end of the war found half of the Halfling population decimated - though the peace treaty and the formation of the U.R.C. saved the Halflings from an unpleasant fate. Second Era Although the peace treaty was in place, the Second Era started off with more conflicts with the Elves. During this time, Halfling culture and civilization goes through an amazing struggle as the Elves chip away their national identity part by part. The initial interest wars now had turned into full-fledged racial wars. The Halflings, even though their nature set them back in terms of fighting power in comparison to the tall Elves, fought courageously and managed to go through the wars by utilizing gorilla warfare tactics. The political struggle with the enraging Elves kept the Halfling population into a constant war with them that lasted for more than half a millenia. During Mid Second Era, the Halfling population had been decimated. The remaining populations, unable to withstand more Elven attacks flee from their motherland and seek refuge inside Human settlements or travel in caravans around the world to escape from the Elven menace. Huge portions of the ex-Halfling land falls in the hands of their sworn enemies, as well as large chunks of unclaimed territory that the Elves now claim as a war trophy. Third Era During the beginning of the Third Era, the main Halfling population finally moves out from the main capital as the Elves are finally making an entrance to the heart of the Halfling society - the city of Baumferg. Most of the population is slaughtered during this process, as the relentless Elves sweep and kill settlement after settlement to quench their blood rage. The once peaceful people that turned soldiers to defend their lands during a continuous thousand year war fall dead one by one, and the race is led to the edge of extinction. Counting less than five thousand people, the Halflings abandon all of their historic land to move on to the island of Asuldur, far away from the aggressive range of any Elven population. Little is known about the rest of the Halfling history during this Era, for the constant wars swept clear all historical information about them from existence. Apart from the re-establishment of their broken nation, the Halflings remained silent, and turned yet once again to their inner peaceful selves to secure their future from any more conflicts. Fourth Era During this historical period, the Halfling population starts to flourish yet once again. The population problems caused by the decimation of their numbers are now being bridged, as Humen and Halflings start to work mutually towards the establishment of a new settlement for the Halflings to call home. The recreation of their civilization led the Halflings to the development of a brand new culture, heavily influenced by their historic inheritance and their connection to their refound Humen allies. The people of Asuldur turn towards the rest of the world, organizing trips and expeditions to the lands beyond their island in hopes of creating new relationships and finding new allies. Though all of their efforts were concentrated into one, single goal: to never tackle with Elven interests ever again from now on. Apart from starting anew in the jewelcrafting business, Halfling commonfolk adapts Human practices and turn towards cultivating the land for a living. The Halflings herd cattle and grow wheat, rice and soy, which they exchange for materials such as metals, gold and ivory, goods that weren't easy to obtain on an island like theirs. The Halflings of this era prefer to work under the sunshine of a sunny day, thus staying away from the mines that triggered the blood war with the Elves seven centuries ago. Most of the mines they used to work into are shutting down, being unable to catch up with the Dwarven resourcing businesses that outnumbered all other races in the amounts of ores extracted and processed. They retain their fame though in mastercrafting jewelers, as Halfling artisans receive orders and funding from abroad agents to deliver quality products to them that no one else would be able to create for them. Biology Most of their appearance consists of the primary characteristics that Humen bear, though the most noticeable difference between the two cousin races in the height of the former. Typical Halflings are more than two feet shorter than any average human, reaching a maximum height of four feet eight inches during early adolescence. Halflings put on height until the age of 21; past that time border they keep the same height for the rest of their lives. Their average weight scales from 70 to 110 lbs. seldomly exceeding that amount. The lifespan of a Halfling is the same as Humen, which translates to 70 years for both males and females. Although the time of their life is pretty average and pales in comparison with other races whose people live for centuries, this biological feature has been granting Halflings the advantage of keeping a close relationship with the Humen, who oftenly treat the Halflings as their little brother. This attitude from the side of the Humen does oftenly lead to temporary interruption of relations, as the Halflings have a pretty short temper when the discussion comes down to that of their height. Society The Halflings are optimistic and outgoing by nature. All of their settlements share such attributes as common: they all feature extravagant estates, large gardens, and impressive architecture, that is being involved in the construction not only of housing, but of any other building too. The peacefulness of the Halflings is showcased in the lack of military fortifications within the city, though they keep Asuldur protected with magic sentries and barricades that prevent foreigners from accessing the area. The Halfling military consists of only two percent of the total population, and the funding it receives from the central government is minimal. Most of the soldiers are patrons of magic, though swordsmen exist their numbers pale in comparison to the frontline wizards of the army. Asuldur is both the economical and the cultural capital of the Halfling population as a whole. A total of eighty thousand citizens reside permanently on the island, which is divided into ten different duchies. Every duchy is controled by their respective Duke or Duchess, who hold all of the political rights on their region. The royal title is inherited from parent to child, which means that Halflings not born into royalty don't have rights over control. However, the leaders of the different duchies see to their duties with high responsibility, and little to no complain does ever arise from the people about them. The population of the Halflings, as a whole, has also recognized another political institution, known as 'The Trust'. The Trust is the highest of Asuldur councils, consisting of ten elected duchy representatives whose role is to ensure the smooth operation of all governmental foundations run by the individual duchies. The ten representatives, in their turn, elect one out of the ten Dukes and Duchesses of Asuldur as their leader; that individual's identity though is kept secret. The elections are held once every two years. The Halflings of Asuldur's main occupation is either farming, weaving or forging. The landfolk of the suburbs grow mainly wheat, soy, corn, and a vast range of vegetables, whereas they also produce honey, cheese, and the traditional Halfling wine called the 'Ezhar' brew, which is made out of the seeds of a flower found locally of similar name. Those who reside on the seashore usually turn to fishing instead of cultivating, or sailing. The citizens of the urban scape deal with clay, metal, and jewels, whilst Halfling weaving techniques are quite popular past their national boundaries too. Asuldur imports steel, copper, bronze and silver, and exports gold, cloth, fabric, garnments, jewels, honey and other agricultural products. However, another fifty thousand Halflings are leading a nomadic lifestyle and rarely ever settle in one place permanently. Not permitted by the political sphere of Asuldur, those travelers usually adapt their own ways of living depending on the groups they travel in. Those groups usually range in numbers, the smallest one being just a small team of five to six Halflings whilst there are known cases of groups of more than a hundred Halflings traveling together. The nomads follow regulations of the local authorities to whom they belong once they move inside some civilized region. Attributes * Cavernous Stomach: Halfling's are able to consume large amounts of food constantly. ** Tolerance: Halfling's have a medium tolerance for poisons and alcohol. * High Mana Concentration: Halfling's are very powerful spell-casters, able to cast incredibly powerful spell's from a relatively young age. * Strong Mana Flow: Halfling's have a high mana capacity, allowing them to cast a great number of spells without tiring. * Stout: Halfling's are very short in stature.